Monthly Archives: April 2021

Sex and Poetry: The Quiet Charms of “Adult World”

By James Kenney First printed at Queens Free Press, 2014. After having reviewed the dispiriting Tarantino/Lynch throwback The Bag Man earlier this week, I happily announce that Adult World is a return to the cinema of the 1990s as well, but a more positive reassertion of indie values. The world of Don Roos, Hal Hartley,Continue reading “Sex and Poetry: The Quiet Charms of “Adult World””

An Exclusive Interview with Editor/Director Allan Holzman about Directing for Roger Corman, Editing Robert Mitchum, and His New Book on BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS

Allan Holzman talks about editing and directing for Roger Corman and about his new book on the making of BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS

“I Have a Jest to Execute, that I Cannot Manage Alone”: Peter Bogdanovich’s SAINT JACK and THEY ALL LAUGHED

(This piece originally was published at whatchareading.com on May 8, 2017) What brought Hollywood traditionalist Peter Bogdanovich, low-budget drive-in messiah Roger Corman, experimental European cinematographer Robby Muller, method acting Cassavetes regular Ben Gazzara, classically trained British actor Denholm Elliot, acclaimed expatriate novelist Paul Theroux, and scoundrel Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner together? The film Saint Jack,Continue reading ““I Have a Jest to Execute, that I Cannot Manage Alone”: Peter Bogdanovich’s SAINT JACK and THEY ALL LAUGHED”

It’s Okay to be Unpopular: Hal Hartley, The Deadpan Tragedian

This piece originally was published in Queens Free Press in April 2015 Ned Rifle, the third in Hal Hartley’s trilogy begun with Henry Fool in 1998 and followed by Fay Grim in 2006, is a fitting labor-of-love that both celebrates the past and points towards an uncertain future that reflects not only the characters’ situations but perhapsContinue reading “It’s Okay to be Unpopular: Hal Hartley, The Deadpan Tragedian”

The Secret Art of Light Comedy, and the Secret Release of THE REWRITE

With Fast and the Furious 7 making something like 500 million dollars worldwide in four days, it’s no surprise that Hugh Grant’s genial romantic comedy The Rewrite was unceremoniously dumped:  A Video-On-Demand release coupled with a token one-week stay in a Manhattan theater purely for contractual reasons, followed by a DVD release so bankrupt I couldn’tContinue reading “The Secret Art of Light Comedy, and the Secret Release of THE REWRITE”

In Praise of Emily Mortimer, and why MARY is a “Humpback Movie.”

Emily Mortimer is an actress of prodigious talent.  Everyone recognizes her but I guess some may still not know her name, as she is not “box-office” and sometimes stars in films that show up on Netflix or in Redbox without theatrical release with portentous regularity.  But she rocks.   I cannot deny that I found her,Continue reading “In Praise of Emily Mortimer, and why MARY is a “Humpback Movie.””

A 10 Year-Old Ranks all the Superhero movies that He’s Seen…Admittedly, He’s Missed a Few!

My son, Julian James Kenney, wrote this list in a frenzy after watching GHOST RIDER this weekend.  Caveat: He hasn’t seen some key titles, but he’s also seen some deep cuts some of you might have missed!  He wrote a biography for a story he’s working on with a friend, so I’ll reuse that toContinue reading “A 10 Year-Old Ranks all the Superhero movies that He’s Seen…Admittedly, He’s Missed a Few!”